Kristy Duncan Johnson, a senior product manager at Adobe, of Los Gatos, California is one car lover with the luxury of having a little Italy in her backyard. Ever since her grandparents took her to see the Harrah car collection as a kid, she’s been in love with automobiles. Today, she and her husband, Grady, have nearly 50 cars in their backyard, but it’s the Fiat 500 – known as the Cinquecento in Italy – is her favorite. For those of you with kids at home, you may know the Cinquecento as Luigi from the movie “Cars.” Back in 1957, when the model first appeared, it was Italy’s answer to the people’s car – a small, affordable, four-seater.
Johnson and her husband have six classic Cinquecentos. The most unique one is a right-hand drive 1969 model purchased from Australia on eBay; it’s been modified as a permanent roadster – no top, and it’s a blue-purple color the couple refers to as blurple. “When Fiat brought an all-new 500 to the U.S. in 2011, we signed up for a Prima Edizione [first edition] and got the 237th car to roll off the assembly line,” said Johnson. “There’s something about the ways these cars drive – both the new ones and the classics. All are manual transmissions. In a car so small, you get a visceral feel for speed. Every time I get in one, it puts a smile on my face.” To view Kristy’s flock of fiats, click here.
